First-degree robbery in Rhode Island involves either serious bodily injury to the victim or the use or threatened use of a dangerous weapon. It carries up to life imprisonment. Second-degree robbery is robbery without those aggravating factors and carries up to 30 years prison. Both are felonies tried in Rhode Island Superior Court. The first-degree elements (weapon or serious injury) are often contested by the defense because moving from first-degree to second-degree dramatically reduces the maximum sentence. Even if conviction is unavoidable, getting the charge downgraded from first to second degree is one of the most valuable defense outcomes.
